To expect staff to keep this day free, even if not contracted to work?

[Newyeargrinch]

Senior manager in a small business that has just paid out a considerable amount of money to sponsor a local event towards the end of the year (think Xmas fair). This could potentially bring in a lot of good publicity and business for us. The success of the event depends on having plenty of staff present to represent us. The event is on a Saturday. Some staff work Saturday anyway, some alternate Saturdays. Others are weekday only, some full time, others part time. I know full well that if we asked for volunteers or left until nearer the time, certain staff would come up with reasons why they couldn't help. Therefore an email has gone out to all staff, informing them of the date and saying we expect them to keep it free to attend this event (they will get an extra day off in lieu). Several staff replied to say they didn't know their plans that far ahead as yet but, if free, would be happy to help. We've replied that, if they have nothing planned, they can keep the day free and will be expected to help.

It has been fed back that many staff are unhappy and say that we cannot dictate what they do with their spare time.

I think it's a small ask, they've had 10 months notice and it could bring a lot of extra business our way, ultimately benefiting them!

AIBU?

I don’t think you handled it well and it’s got everyone’s backs up. You can’t force them they aren’t contracted, you can’t expect them to keep it free either, you signed up for it and need the staff to help. Offer double pay, free lunch and a day off in lieu. Carrots are better than sticks

You need to give an incentive for people to volunteer. Time and a half and a TOIL day. This is what I've got in the past plus lunch included and travel expenses. I wouldn't do it if the incentive was to have a day off in the week rather than a full weekend.

Entirely unreasonable. You don’t own these peoples’ lives.

it’s a team effort to keep a business afloat, and unless you’re actually owned your own company then you don’t realise that.

If its a team effort then it should be a team reward, but having worked for a few small businessss many of them dont seem to understand that

Its all "work extra or you wont have a job" rather than "work extra and we will make sure you get more money" With of course the additional thread of "we will make you redundant if you dont slog out as many hours you can on often poor wages in order to make the business owners as rich as possible"

Yeah no thanks, this is why I only work for big, properly run, businesses now because this whole mentality of we will make you redundant unless you work as hard as a business owner for a standard salary is just bullshit

Pay your staff properly and stop threatening them. If you cant afford to pay your staff properly to keep the business afloat then its not a business its a hobby being subsidised by overworked under paid staff

It has been fed back that many staff are unhappy

OP seems to have a talent for understatement as well as disappearing ...

Unreasonable, you have no idea what will come up in people's spare time in ten months and it's not for you to dictate.
If you want the business opportunity you do it and take staff that are rostered to work that day

I'm contracted to work Friday, weekends, and Monday.
I don't work Tuesday - Thursday. So l wouldn't be going into work on those days, whatever it was for.

before you committed to the event I would have asked staff availability and offered a financial incentive to work not a day off - you sound a bit bullish

Absolutely this. You've gone in, guns blazing and literally tried to force people into working on a non-contracted day, with no financial incentive. On a Saturday. On a Saturday very close to Christmas.

You've not really thought this one through have you?

If I got invited to a wedding, theatre trip, birthday celebration, day out, weekend away etc on a Saturday there is no way I would say no because my work had asked me to keep it free regardless of how far in advance they told me about the corporate event. I would work on a Saturday if I had no other plans, but wouldn’t turn down plans in order to work. Realistically how much will the event actually benefit most workers? Will they receive a big pay rise or bonus if extra business is found? For most workers the answer is likely no, in which case why would they give up their free time to bring in extra business that probably mainly benefits directors and senior staff?

This is going to be one of those posts that gets to 20 pages long and no sign of an update from the OP. Anyway, I’d have told you to get lost to be frank. You don’t dictate to me what I do with my weekends.

@Itscatsallthewaydown 😂😂😂 too right.

Ummm....I'd say I have an outstanding work ethic and am always flexible. But this would also be a "get fucked" from me based on how you have approached it. That would have got my back right up.

You'd have been better off offering an incentive, asking for volunteers, explaining the benefits, offering free bacon butties etc for breakfast or something. But telling people there's no pressure. You catch more flies with honey etc etc.

Oh dear.

Far too bullish an approach. If you're asking - no, insisting, people work on a Saturday and they don't normally, then you should be offering some kind of additional compensation to sweeten the pill. I'd be annoyed too if I was one of your staff.

You cannot direct someone to work on their non-working day.
You can ask and pay them.

I am a business owner and all our contracts have always included a clause to require flexibility according to the needs of the business. Almost every workplace has peaks and troughs plus sickness and holiday to cover, businesses can only survive if employees are willing to pitch in when needed.
However, people also need motivating. I used to run extremely busy seasonal evening events. Legally, I could have just insisted that people work it due to needs of business and provision in contract. But I offered double time to make sure I didn’t have any hassle. People were falling over themselves to get those extra hours!
If your event is that important to the business then it makes total sense to incentivise your employees accordingly.

An extra day off in lieu? Lol. Offer an extra day off and double time and I’d think about it.

It has been fed back that many staff are unhappy and say that we cannot dictate what they do with their spare time.

I don't blame them.

While I'd try and avoid booking a holiday or event that weekend - if it's only weekend family can do that month/year they will be the priority and a day in lieu would be utterly useless to me.

You are completely unreasonable.

Just figure how how many people you need and ask for people to volunteer to work that day and to confirm.

You are ridiculous to ask everyone to keep it free, I'd be telling you to fuck off.

I really want OP to come back.

I think it's fair to ask all staff who are contracted to work Saturdays to keep it free and ask for volunteers from the group that aren't contracted for weekend work.

However, 10 months is plenty of notice and in my organisation we are regularly asked to with weekends and only get a day off in return..... absolutely no overtime payments.

I'm super flexible though. I occasionally work overnight if delivering I'm delivering training/workshops in Asia/ Australia and I'm lucky if I get that time back 😂😂

You've got a total cheek. You can't demand people give up a day off. They'll get a day back in lieu, well whoppee fucking do.

If its that important to you need to offer an incentive. Double time or a flat rate payment. You can't rely on goodwill

I'd put money on the ones saying if they're free they'll come saying it just to get you off their back

This is an outrageous demand on your staff and I highly doubt it is even legal! If you want people to work at this event, you need to pay them overtime. This event will not benefit them in any way. To suggest differently is disingenuous and manipulative. All the self-respecting employers reading this are shaking their heads at you in disgust.

F

I doubt the OP will be back.

The success of the event depends on having plenty of staff present to represent us

if success depends on your staff, then pay them adequately their precious time.

I suspect that horse has bolted though because the follow up dictat was bloody awful.

Crikey, OP, no mention of contracts, just the idea that employers are doing employees a favour by allowing them to work for them. Things are very different this century.

Are lots of your employees women? A Saturday in the run-up to Christmas is one of the most stressful times of the year for most women and yet you're expecting them to find childcare and sacrifice that valuable day for nothing.

I'm gobsmacked at how unprofessionally this has been thrown together. Why wasn't the staffing issue identified as problematical and time put into working out how it could be managed and how much it was going to cost the company? Would I be right in guessing that those who made the decision are mainly male and childfree?

If you offer double pay for the Saturday, food/ drinks provided and TOIL that will probably encourage a few people to step up. If you factor in the cost of having to recruit and train new employees because of this, it's nothing.